Needle scouring and polishing machine



:July 10, 1945 W. Mc uc s 2,389,058

NEEDLE SCOURING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 1944 10 Sheets-Sheet 1 ELI] Wcfucas July 10, 1945..

w. M LucAs 2,38%,Q3

NEEDLE SCOURING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 1944 10 Shets-Sheet 2 William mal ards 9&1

July 10, 1945. w. M LucAs NEEDLE SCO URING AND POLISHING MACHINE 1o Sheets-Sheet 5 3mm, William Wolfucas Filed Sept. 19, 1944 km alwmw NEEDLE SCOURING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 1-9, 1944 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 gnvenbov ZgL'ZZiam Wclucas 2 1 July 10, 1945. w. M LUCAS NEEDLE SCOURTNG AND POLISHING MACHIN 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 19, 1944 WW/WW William Wcfzzcas July 1,, 1945;. W. MCLUCAS 2,380,058

NEEDLE SCOURINGv ANT) POLISHING MACHINE File d 19v 1944 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 July 10, 1945. w. M LUCAS NEEDLE SCOURING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 1944 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 gnvcn koz 7730 .[ucas william 9511 W. M LUCAS RING AND POLISHING MACHINE July W, 1945.

NEEDLE $0015 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Sept. 19 1944 July 10, 1945. w. M' LucAs' 2,380,

NEEDLE SCQURING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 1944 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 ZUiZZi July 10, 1945. w, c uc s' 2,380,058

NEEDLE SCOURING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed Se t. 19, 1944 10 Sheets-Sheet l0 gave whoa if [Gilliam Wcfiucas mom Patented July 10, 1945 2,380,058 NEEDLE SCOURING'AND=POLISHING.,.

William McLucaat Glasgow, Seotland assignonto ThelSinger Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth,

No.1,; a coxporatiomot New-Jersey Application "September, 19, 194 1,.Seria1 No;554',s4-9 In" Great "Britain september '24, 1943 8;=.ClaimS.-:; (Cl. 51-1-38).

The subject of .this invention is, a. semi-.auto-,

matic power driven machine. for; use ,inscouring;

and polishing sewing machine andlikeinet fllesv in the course of manufacture of suchjneedleis,v

A machine ,accordingto. the. .inv ntibnicomr, prises a pair ofv quick pitc'hpower drivengotary conveyor screws journalled in. the. frame of the.

machine.

At. spaced points along. the .length-.of,..thfma, -1 chine there .are provided .needle-treatirig heads;

or stations each including an arm whichlcarries, on its free tenda power=drivenrotary scourin pr polishing brush which, in .use,- simultaneously roe tates about a .horizontalaxis, reciprocateseaxi; ally and also reciprocatestransversely ofits axis; in a horizontal. planer about a horizontal axis ,so that the, brush. may be lowered from operative position, and .raisjedinto, operative position. Whenin. operative position.-.

the top of .the brushjslocated ,at. about the. level I of the conveyor screws.

Disposed along the front .of.,the. machine, isla horizontal guide .raillocated aboutlevel. withthe,

screws and provided at spaced points along it's length with gaps .or interruptions,

Disposed along the rear lofllthe machine, ,isna

power-driven endless .conveyorbeltprthe equiv...- alent which extends. from, onelend toflthe tether end of the machine.

The. needles.to bet scoured...or.- polished are loaded. by. an operative into .needleecarrying.

members 1in;-the ,form of. tongseach. ofmvhich is; adapted to hold .between its jaws .a.plurality..;of,

needles closely spaced apart ina row The tongs... to lee-loaded with needles are takenone atla time by the operative fromthe. conveyor .'belt.-..

As .willbe understood, the jawssof a-vpairgoii tongs may 'bezcaused, togrip. eithenthe. shank.

portions or the ,blade' or point-portions .of,,the,.,

needles,.- the protruding; portions of .,.the needles.

. being Ethese portions iwhich-aretto besubjected.

to scouring ortpolishing.

Afterloading,. eachpair.ofstongsiis. placed... transversely upon the conveyor. screws with the, jawend of :the. rtongs .restingupon thelguide-rail, at the. front of themachina. The conveyqr screws rotate intermittently so,.that. the tongs are conveyed stepwise. along. the-length..of .Ith'e. machinetheperiods ofoperation ofthe screws alternatingwith-dwellperiods. during; .which, each The arm is TsWinQabIe,

of. thapairs of tongs, :upon the .screws isldcated ..j

at aneedle-treating head so. thattheneedlesino the tongs are scoured or polished by the action.

of the respective brush, .whichlatter. is. \causedito rise into. operative positionv so .as to.,,ac.t on the,

undersides of, the .needlesspresentedl by thetongss y In travelling frormone head ,.tol,.the, succeeiiin s.

head each pair of 'tongs. turns.,through..ha1, 1a,,

revolution, smthatwhatwerepreviously the. ,up persides oi: theeneedles, are etheeundersides for.

the. succeeding. brush; Thus. both. sides. of the needles are presented in tumto-the brushes inthe.

passage ,of ,',the tongs, along the machine. This rotary movement ofthje tongsis causedbythe frictional action on, the tongs ,of."th e conveyor screws, andjis permitted when the jawswof the. tongs come into register with -a gapjn thfe guide railgfl, After ,eachlscouring or. polishing operation thielarmsand the brushes descend out of the way tolpermit the. tones to be traversed along by the 'screwsinto register withv the succeedingheadsf...

whereupon, the. brushes are again raisedvinto op;

erative position for a successive scouring oripol-a' ishing..- operation.

At. .the delivery end of. the machine there may be.- providedj an oscillatory transfer. device Lde"- J vised to lift the ,tongs one at a ,time from the. conyeyor screws ,andfto, deposit them'upon the.

conveyor; belt; which. latter. conveysflthe. tongs j towards the. feed end of the .machine. In (the returnpassage of,,the tongs to the feed ,end'i'oi the-machine the. treated needles are removed fby an operative from thetoneS. and the tongs .re.,I

loadedwith. a fresh supply ofuneedle'sh,

While the. tongson the machineare -lojcatedj at. thescQuring, or. polishing heads. the tongs ,are temporarily. clampedjinf position. by overhead." power-operated swinging clamps ,Which are op; erated to. clamp and to, release the tongs,in.,ti1'ne d;v relation with the operation: of; the; Conveyor;

screws The machine may be: divided longitudinally in;

to. two sections, ,adaptedto scour lorr polish. the

bladeor point portions and the. shank.portions, respectively, of; the jneedles,. .or. vice-yersa- For.

example, at the .feed end .of ..the fir st, section the shanlgportions of. the .needles may be gri ped in,

the. tongs so .that the; .,blade. or, point. portions,

of .the .needles are .treated inthe, first. section ,of

the..,machine... At the :delivery, end .of,.ithe first section an operative loads the. needles. .reversely into. another pair .of ,tongs..and .placesethese lat ter,.tongs on the, conveyor, screws at. ,the. feed. endpf the second section,,so..thattheshank por-I tions ofgtheneedlesare :treated. inr the. second.

section of the -inachine;

The, first section of .the, machine ,rnay, ,b e. .Dlo

videdt,-with the fo1l owing. -scouringpr. P91i's1iing brushes. located one vat .each head,.1in sequence ,from. the. feed .end... name y.v first. andvs cond. brushes of brass or other.-.material,,thirdjangl, fourth brusheseof .copperlor, other. nriate'rial and fifth..and.sixth. brushes of l1air ,,or, other ,mateerial... The second section. of the.machine. ,may

.beprovided withfirst and secondbrushes orbrass or other. material, and ,iwithithirdjand fojurth' brushesiofihair. or ,other. materiaLj Certalnorall of the. brushes. may, be arranged towdip into baths, containing abrasive, chalk, 101; V

oth'enmaterial;

An overhead power-driven rotary brush may be associated with each or with certain of the aforesaid brushes.

In practice, needles are treated in the machine three times, firstly, after hardening and tempering of the needles, i. e., scouring; secondly,

after finish pointing, i. e., polishing; and, third- 1y, after plating and final inspection, 1. e., polishing. I

Description will now be given of the construction and operation of a needle scouring and polishing machine according to the invention reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Fi 1 is a side view from the operatives side of the machine, and Fig. 2 is a skeletonized plan view. Certain parts are omitted from these views for clearness, the figures being intended merely to convey a general idea of thearrangement of the machine; Fig. 3 is a side view, drawn to a larger scale, broken to shorten the figure and showing in greater detail the feeding end of the machine at the left-hand of the figure and the delivery end of the machine at the right-hand of the figure as viewed from a position opposite to that of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view of the machine from the feeding end; Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the machine, the plane of the section being through the line vi-vi of Fig. 1; Fig. '7 is a sectional view through the machine, the plane of the section being through the line viivii of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a sectional view drawn to a larger scale of tongs used to hold a number of needles to be treated in the machine; Fig. 9 is a plan of the tongs; Fig, 10 is an end view of the jaw plates of the tongs; Fig. 11 is an end view of the handle end of the tongs; Fig 12 is a fragmentary side view drawn to a larger scale of the jaw end of the tongs; Fig. 13 is a fragmentary side View also drawn to a larger scale of a clamp for clamping the jaws of the tongs during the brushing operation; Fig. 14 is a face view of part of Fig. 13 later to be referred to; Fig. 15 is a fragmentary side view of driving mechanism for imparting motion to a brush; Fig.16 is an end view of Fig. 15; Fig. 17 is a sectional view drawn to a largerscale of a bearing for a brush shaft; Fig. 18 is a side view and Fig. 19 an end view of a brush head; Fi 18a is an end view of Fig. 18; Fig. 20 is a side view of 'part of the feed end of the machine showing the drive for the conveyor shafts; Fig. 21 is a side view and Fig. 22 an end view of the gripper elements of lifting means for lifting the tongs from the conveyor shafts at the delivery end of the machine; Fig. 23 is a side view and Fig. 24 an end view of similar gripper elements operating at the handle end of the tongs; Fig. 25 is a side view of weight-cushioning mechanism for use with the brushing heads of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the machine includes a pair of quick pitch power driven rotary conveyor screws I, 2, disposed in parallelism in a substantially horizontal plane and journalled in the frame 3 of the machine.

At spaced points along the length of the machine there'are provided needle-treating heads or stations, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, at each of which is located an arm 4 which carries on its free end a power-driven rotary scouring or polishing brush 5 which, in use, simultaneously rotates about a horizontal axis 6, reciprocates axaxis in a horizontal plane. The arm 4 is swingable about a horizontal axis I so that the brush 5 may be lowered from operative position, and raised into operative position. When in operative position, the top of the brush 5 is located at about the level of the conveyor screws I, 2, see

. Fig. 20.

Disposed along the machine adjacent to the conveyor screw 2 is a horizontal guide rail 8 located in such position that its upper edge is slightly above the level of the root of the thread of the screw 2, see Figs. 8 and 13. The rail 8 is provided at spaced points along its length with gaps or interruptions 9, see Figs. 4 and 14. A further horizontal guide rail I0 is disposed along the machine adjacent to the conveyor screw I. The guiding face of the rail II] is slightly above the level of the root of the thread of the conveyor screw I, see Fig. 8.

Disposed along the rear of the machine is a power-driven endless conveyor belt II which extends from' 'one end to the other end of the machine, see Figs. 1 and 2.

Located at the feeding end and at the rear of L .the machine is a table I2. A table I3 is located intermediate the table I2 and the delivery end of the machine.

Located at approximately mid-length of the frame 3 is an electric motor I4 which drives a main driving shaft I 6 extending from end to end of the machine and journalled in bearings IS in the end and intermediate frame members.

A shaft I 'I journalled in bearings along the front of themachine and extending from end to end of the machine in parallelism with the shaft I6 is driven by means of belts and pulleys from theshaft I6 and in turn drives throu h other belts and pulleys other shafts for transmitting motion to the several operative parts of the ma chine.

The conveyor screws I and 2 are rotated intermittently through trains of gears I8, I9 in a gear box 20 controlled by a clutch 2I the driving element of which receives motion through belts and pulleys from the driving shaft H, see Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 8 to 12, which illustrate in detail tongs for holding needles to be treated in the machine, the tongs 22 comprise pivotally interconnected arms 23, 24 each provided at one end with a relatively wide jaw member furnished with a renewable hardened steel jaw plate 25 furnished at its gripping edge with a felt pad 26, see Fig. 12. The arm 24 of the tongs is provided with an adjustable extension or tail 21. A locking ring 28 encircles the arms 23, 24 and is adapted to be slid along said arms to lock or unlock the arms. 'As will later be described in connection with the operation of the machine, the tongs carrying a load of needles to be treated are placed on the screws I and 2, with the lowermost jaw member resting on the guide rail 8 and the extension 21 resting on the guide rail ID, the back of the rail I0 forming a stop for correct positioning of the tongs. The height of the rails 8 and I0 is such as to ensure that the tongs are supported just clear of the roots of the threads of the screws I, 2, see Fig. 8. The rail I0 is formed with a gap III to permit entry of the extension 21 of the tongs.

The tongs are inserted in the machine with the arms 23 uppermost as shown in Fig. 8 for one pass through the machine; for the next pass through the machine the tongs are reversed to bring the arm 24 uppermost.

Description will now be given of clamping means for clamping the tongs in position during the brushing: operatioml reference being; made .in

particular 1' to Figs; 6, 13.. and:120,;although the.

clamping means is .also illustrated .in .Figs. 4, 5 and 7. A clamp is located in position :opposi-tetoeachbrush and eachclampis, similar in constructionand ioperation. .A clamp-.comprises an;

arm :29. mounted L'OI'LL'J a shaft 30- HDOlliWhiCh is fixed an arm; 3 l :which is connected at. .its .free 1 end to-one end "of, a rod32 the other endeofcwhichn.

is connectedto one armof atbell-crank. lever pivoted "on: the frame-3.; A- 1011612134 xm'ounted on the other arm .of the bell-crank lever: 33 is located;

in the path of a cam .35 .fixed;onr;.atshait' :36 'joure nalledin the front. of. .the framee3 and driven" by belt and pulleys from the shaft-11.; Aarollerfl" mounted on the first-mentioned-carmz ot'thea'lever 33 -is locatedrin the path ofrimovement of: a;.cam

33 also mounted on. the shaft 35.1. In thebi-furcated end 29': ofthe arm: 292there is .pivotally mounted .a clamping padai-ilie. The pad-r39 is. in-:

arm 39 of the pad 39 and at the opposite end to an adjustable-bolt 41,.inaubracketxZQi" on the Eg cess movement. \Of'ithfl. .pad. 39 is 1 restricted by an" adjustable -stop 42: projecting.

throughthe bracket 29", see Fig; 13; Astopplate 43 secured to the army!!! :serves. to .provide abut-a ment. for the jaw II1BmbBIS'f..0fTthew-'t0ngS 22 to ensure correct positioningt oftthe tongs 1-22 ;rela.- 1

tivelytoatherespective-brush 5.. Located in the.

'20 fluenced bya springc4ll=securediat onetend'toan armlfl-adjacentto the pivot; ;:is .an adjustable spring influenced .member: 44 1 having; a .wedge: shaped end,.;see Fig. .20.

The clamping. .arm 29 iisnlifted byithe .cam.

acting on; theroller-3i to -rock the ".belL-crank lever 33 about its pivot,; and .throughgthe rod 232 V.

and arm 31 to turn the-shaft 3llandtlift thearm 29 to release the tones, At1the;same;time the roller 31 enters the camngroovedn thecam 38. On the next movement, of. thev cams the.; cam.- 38

engages :the roller 31 and moves the 1clampqagain.

into clamplngsposition, see Fig." 6;

Description will now be given. of-a:brush-carry.--

relatively to the head 45.: The :axialmovement is obtained by means. of a worm .48 fast on the shaft 1 6 andmeshing with a worm wheel 49mounted eccentrically on. a pin 50in the head The pin is journ'alledinslide blocks 5| adapted for! .ered by a cam 53 fixed on the shaft 36 and adapt ed to bear against a cam fol-lower 54 carried by an adjustable bracket '55 on the shaft 'Lsee Figs. 18 and 20.

The cam Eli-lifts the brush into contact'with the needles, see Fig. 20, andlowers it out of--con-- tact at the end of a cyele of operatic-n. The pressure of the brush on the needles may be--regulated by adjustment of a screw-threaded pint56 mounted in the arm i.-

enced detent 5! engageable with serration on the boss of the handwheel 53, see Figs 18;

To counterbalance the weight of 'the brush heads and to minimisethe load on thecams 53," each brush head is furnished with a weight-cushioning device 58, as shown'in Fig. 25; This device comprises a tube 53 supported in'a foot-step bearing 60 bolted to the floor. 1 The tube-59housesa helical compression springs! interposed be tween the bottom of the foot-step 3G! and a plunger rod 62 fitting slidably in the tubeEQ land furnished at its upper end with a socket 6-3 adapt ed to receiveand'form a bearing for-a pin--45 attached .to the bottornof the head 45 -of the mg head and brush; with particular reference to Figs. 17,- 18,. 19and 20. At eachxofzthe:brushingi stations A..B,.C,.D, and E,.and;.G., Hiand I there:- is located-.a-single brush as shown imFigsilfipand 20. At the.brushing.-:stations Fahd J,"there;,are.

located two brushes, arranged one above; the other, see Fig. 5.. The secondary brushuisialso shown in Fig..l9;but anot inits correct-Working position.

The brusheseat stations'A,. l3,- G:and are of are of tampico. or hair. i

The metallic brushes are supplied with abrasive or polishing material,whileltheitampico or hair.

brushes are supplied .with:powderedrchalk. The abrasive nor polishing material andrtl mschalk may be appliedtothe brushesbyan.operative, .orrale v brass; the brushes at the stations C, D and E are of copper; the brushesatthe stations. =li ,-Iiand..J

ternatively, 1 the brushes may be :arranged .-.to. .dip

into baths containing the abrasive, ohalkgor other material.

The brush-carrying armzli pivotally mounted on the shaft .1 is formed atitsfreeiendcwithsa bean ing headsti in whichris ro-tatably. and slidably mountedzthe brush-carrying shaft 6;; A brushb. is secured .on one projecting. :endzof the, shaft 6 and .a...pulley- 46 tissecured. on .the. opposite end.

of the shaft, the pulley; 46 beingdriven by a; belt Inadditionto transmitting rotatiomtozthe brush 5 .theshaft .6 iszadaptedisto reciprocate axially.

brush arm.

When an operative wishes to apply abrasiveor other material to the brush, or for any other'purpose,'the brush head may be manually lifted about its pivot 1 by means-of a handle t t-projecting from the arm t, see Figs. 18 and 19.

The brush head is given a slight transverse oscillatory movement by means of an eccentrictfiacting on a lever iiiiconnected tea-shaft 6i which is mounted a bracket 38 carryin th shaft 1 of the brush head, see Figs. 5; 18 and 20. The

extent of the transverse oscillation may be -adjusted by means of a handwhe'el 53; Fig. 5.-

The upper brushlfl at eachof the bruslnsta tions F and J is driven by a--beltil engaging-a pulley 72011 the brush axle l3 "and a pulle lt carried by an arm lficonnected by a turnbuckle 13 to a lever 'l'i carrying the bearing head-of the brush it. Thus, the tension of the'belt-li ismaintained as the brush'head is oscillated about the shaft 31, see Figs. l5, l6.

The tongs are lifted from the machineatthe finish of the brushing operation by lifting mech anism now to be described with referenc to Figs." 3, 4, '7, 21, 22, 23 and 24.

Mounted for guided slidable movement'in a bracket at the delivery end of the machine is a vertical post 'iBcarrying a horizontal arm. .19 upon which are secured at positions adaptedto register with the jaw, member of the tongsu'tz and with the tail 2? of said tongs, respectively, two automatically operating, sprin influenced grippers 3i], 3iadapted to be presseclnver the jaw member and the tail ofthe tongs witenlow-l ered :thereon and to grip saidjaw and tail.

Referring to Figs. 21 and.22,..the=grippers-:80.-

The pin 53 is furnished- Y with a handwheel 36 and :with a spring-influfor gripping th jaw member of the tongs comprise a bracket 82 on which is pivotally mounted a pair of bell-crank levers 83 the lower ends of which are curved and formed with shoulders 84. The levers 83 are inter-connected'by a spring 85 whereby they are normally held in the position shown in Fig. 21. Stops 86 are provided to restrict the inward movement of the levers 83. Guide fingers 8'! on the bracket 32 are provided to guide the grippers on to the jaw members of the tongs. When, aslater to be described, the device is lowered and pressed on to the jaw member of the tongs 22 the levers 83 separate and slip over said jaw member until the action of the spring 85 draws them together again with the shoulders 84 below the jaw member 22, see Fig. 21. Referring to Figs. 23 and 24, the grippers 8! are of similar but narrower construction, and parts corresponding generally to those in Figs. 21 and 22 are indicated by the same referenc numerals with the addition of the exponent 1. In this construction, the levers B3 are influenced by compression springs 88 located between the horizontal arms of the levers and the bracket 82'.

The action of thegrippers 8| in gripping the tail 2'! of the tongs is similar to the action of the grippers 80.

The lifting mechanism is raised and lowered by means of a lever 89 connected at one end to the post I8 and pivotally mounted adjacent to its other end on the adjacent end frame 3 of the machine. The lever 89 carries on its shorter arm a cam follower 89 engaging a cam 90 whereby as the cam rotates the lever 89 is caused to raise and lower the post I8 and the grippers 80, 8|. The grippers 80, 8I are shown in raised position in dotted lines in Fig. '7.

When the grippers have been lowered to seize a pair of tongs and raised to lift the tongs from the machine, th post I8 is turned about its axis through an angle of 90, so as to bring the tongs 22 into position immediately above the conveyor belt II. This movement is efiected by a lever 9i connected at one end to a cranked arm 9| on the post I8 and at its other end to the upper arm of a lever 92 pivoted to the frame and having at its lower end a cam follower 93 engaging a profile cam 94. As the lever 92 is moved by the action of the cam 94 it imparts turning movement to the post 18. The cams are intermittently rotated through gearing driven by belt and pulleys.

At the completion of the aforesaid turning movement, which is limited by a stop 95 in a bracket 96, the tongs 22 are in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. At this point the cam 90 again acts on the lever 89 to lower the gripping mechanism. As the bar I9 is lowered the horizontal arms of the lever 83, 83', respectively, meet against stops 9? on the bracket 96, and stops 98 on a further bracket 99, whereupon the levers 83, 83' are rocked about their respectiv pivots and the levers of each pair separate and release the tongs, which latter fall on to the conveyor belt I I. The gripper mechanism is then returned to initial position ready to remove the next pair of tongs. A stop I08 serves to limit the movement of the bar I9 in this direction, see Fig. 7.

The operation of the machine will now be described.

Two operatives are stationed at the table I2. A third operative is stationed at the table I3. A

'fourth operative stationed at the opposite side of the machine has for duty to make the necessary adjustments to the brush heads and to keep the brushes supplied with abrasive material or chalk as may be required.

' the grippers I4, 15 grip the tongs.

For convenience in description mention will be made of certain times in the cycle of operations but it is to be understood that these times are purely arbitrary.

Briefly the operation is as follows: The needles to be treated are loaded by operatives one and two into needle-shank-gripping tongs 22 with the blades of the needles projecting from the jaws of the tongs. The tongs are then placed on the conveyor feed screws I, 2. These screws rotate intermittently and carry the tongs from brushing station to brushing station. After passing through the six successive brushing stations A, B, C, D, E, F, the tongs come to rest at a point adjacent to the table I3.

Operative three stationed at this table lifts the tongs 22 from the machine and transfers the needles to another pair of tongs which grip the blades of the needles and expose the sh'anks. The empty tongs are conveyed back along the conveyor to operatives one and two at the table I2.

Operative three then places the fresh tongs upon the conveyor screws I, 2. As the gtongs continue to travel along the machine each brush head G, H, I, J brushes the shanks of the needles. When the tongs arrive at the discharge end of the machine the lifting arm 13 is lowered and The arm 13 rises, swings, descends, and deposits the tongs on the conveyor belt II. The belt II conveys the tongs, still carrying the needles, back to the operative at table I 3. The duty of this operative is to release the treated needles into a container.

The machine is thus designed to brush the blades and the shanks of needles.

It will be understood that each needle may have a long groove in one side of the blade and a short groove in the opposite side.

Operatives one and two arrange the needles in a row on spring metal plates on the table I2, and by tapping said plates, the needles are caused to turn by gravity so that the long grooves are uppermost. A plurality of needles, for example fifty or sixty, according to size, are then gripped in a row in the tongs 22. The points are placed against a block on the table as the needles are locked in the jaws of the tongs by means of the locking ring 28.

The tongs 22 are then laid on the conveyor screws I, 2 in the position shown by dotted lines at the left hand end of Fig. 4, during a brushing period of the cycle when the screws are stationary.

The jaw members of the tongs 22 rest on the guide plate 8, while the tail 21, passed through the slot I0 of the guide plate I0, rests in said guide I0 so that the tongs lie clear of the roots of the screws I and 2, see Fig. 8. The long grooves of the needles should be to the underside when the tongs 22 are placed on the screws I, 2 to ensure that, with the brush lay-out as previously described, the long grooves receive twice as much copper brushing as the short grooves. The clutch 2| now engages and the screws I, 2 rotate for several seconds. When the screws again come to rest the tongs 22 have travelled to the first brass brush at station A. The clamp 29 lifts just before the screws I, 2 rotate, to allow and then rise to come into contact with the needles, see Fig. 20, as previously described.

The brush in each head is rotating at high speed, for example at 4000 R. P. M., approximately, and moves across the needles and also in parallelism with the needles, as previously described with reference to Figs. 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20.

The latter movement is adjustable to suit needles of different lengths. The brushing period may last for say ten seconds, which added to a travelling time of say three and a half seconds gives a total cycle time of thirteen and a half seconds.

On completion of the brushing period, the clamp 29 is lifted, the brush 5 recedes, and the clutch 2| again engages and the screws I, 2 again rotate and carry the tongs 22 to the second brass brush at station B. As it is desired to brush the other side of the needle blades, the said second brush is also brass, and the tongs 22 are turned while travelling between the first and second stations in order to present the other side of the blades to the second brush. This is accomplished by means of a break or notch 9 in the bar 8 into which the leading edge of the tong jaw drops, thus rotating the tongs through 90. A

further 90 rotation is obtained when the jaw,

now in vertical position, strikes the far side of the gap 9. The tongs 22 therefore come to rest in inverted position at the second brush station B.

Thus, turning movement ofthe tongs is very simply performed, and is perforated when the tongs 22 are approaching every second station, i, e., when approaching stations B, D, F, H and J.

Rotation of the conveyor screws I and 2 tends to cause the tongs 22 to roll. This rolling movement is prevented by the guide plate 8. When, however, the jaw member loses the support of the guide plate 8 and dropsinto the gap 9, the action of the conveyor screws on the tongs 22 turns said tongs over as described.

Owing to thi rotation, it will be appreciated that the tongs must be of symmetrical form.

As the jaws of the tongs wear away they can I be adjusted by means of the adjustable tail 21, see Figs. 8 and 9.

The operation proceeds in similar manner at eachbrushing station, tongs being placed on the screws I, 2 in succession when the screws are at rest.

The tampico or hair brush at station F is surmounted by a secondary brush, see Fig. 15, which removes any chalk deposit on the upper sides of the needles.

When the tongs pass the station F they come to rest and are removed by operative three at table I3. This operative transfers the needles to another tongs to bring the shanks of the needles into operative position, and places the empty tongs on the conveyor belt II for return to the table I2. The operative then places the fresh tongs on the conveyor screws I, 2 when the screws are at, rest, in similar manner to that previously described for station A.

The tongs are thus traversed in succession along the conveyor to the several stations G, H,- I, J and finally come to rest in turn against a stop at the delivery end of the machine. The tongs are then lifted by the lifting mechanism previously described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, 7, 21, 22, 23 and 24, and dropped on to the conveyor II, whence they are removed at table I3, and the needles deposited in a container.

The brushing cycle is not of sufficient duration to allow one operative at table [2 time to arrange the needles and load them into the tongs, so that two operatives are necessary at this table. The single operative at table I3, however, has ample time to make the change-over.

It is of utmost importance, owing to the high speed at which they run, that the brushes may be balanced and run truly. To facilitate this operation the sleeve mounting illustrated in Fig. 17 is employed. This enables a brush to be trued and balanced, in a running spindle on the bench, ready for replacement of a worn brush, with the minimum loss of machine running time.

An important factor in the successful operation of the machine is the absolute interchangeability of the tongs; a full complement numbers nineteen, i. e., twelve for blade brushing and seven for shank brushing. A

I claim:

1. A semi-automatic machine for use in scouring and polishing the blades and shanks of sewing machine needles, including a pair of rotary conveyor screws adapted to convey needle-carrying members along the length of the machine, mechanism for intermittently rotating said conveyor screws, brushing heads or stations located at spaced points along the length of the machine,

at least one rotary brush located at each station, guide rail means disposed alongside the conveyor screws and adapted to support and guide the needle-carrying members, and clamp means located at each station for clamping the needlecarrying members in position during the scouring or polishing operation.

2. A semi-automatic machine as claimed in 7 claim 1 including provision at each brushing station for effecting rotation of the brush and for effecting axial and transverse reciprocation of the brush.

3. A semi-automatic machine as claimed in claim 1 in which each brush is carried by an arm which is adapted to be raised and lowered whereby to move the brush into and out of operative position.

4. A semi-automatic machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the needle-carrying members are constituted as tongs each adapted to hold a plurality of needles arranged side-by-side in a row.

5. A semi-automatic machine as claimed in claim 1 including an oscillatory transfer device located at the delivery end of the machine and adapted to lift the needle-carrying members one at a time from the conveyor screws.

6. A semi-automatic machine as claimed in claim 1 including provision whereby the needlecarrying members are overturned at predetermined stages in their passage through the machine.

7. A semi-automatic machine as claimed in claim 1 including a power-driven endless conveyor belt or the equivalent disposed along the rear of the machine and extending from one end to the other end of the machine, a table arranged at the rear of the machine at the feeding end, and a further table arranged at the rear of the machine at a point intermediate of the 

